What happens when a son dies? What happens if he dies as the indirect result of the Father? That, along with other more religious aspects is the driving force behind Jay Jennings short film The Drowning. How does that work out for us, the viewers? To be honest it's a mixed bag.As I watched this, I couldn't help but notice that some of what was presented was done really well. In a stylistic sense that is. Then, something just didn't work and I was pulled right out of the world Mr. Jennings had created. This happened numerous times during the nine plus minutes of the film. Now. I'm 'all for' unique and stylish. But sometimes, if something doesn't work... it just doesn't work. No matter how much you try and make it work. This was a common thread throughout the The Drowning, and a commonality that I think could have been avoided through better editing. And by that I mean by cutting some of the 'Less than choice' material and having a six or seven minute run time, instead of a ten minute run time. That could have made this piece so much better. It simply felt that a lot of stuff was left in simply to make it longer. I also understand that the "Retro" look is a style choice. And again, that's fine. But even trying to make a retro inspired film means you still have to know what and what not to leave on the cutting room floor. And again, at times, these 'Retro' styled images pulled me right out of the video.Now. When it's all said and done do I think that The Drowning is a bad short film? No. Not at all. As a matter of fact the writing and subject matter itself is really good. But what really pulls this film up is the acting. The actors... Well, let's just write that all of them pulled off one hell of a show. They come across as real people and did it well. Some scenes may make you wonder if they're acting at all, and not just people pulled into some kind of reality film. Excellent job guys/gals!

So. In my humble opinion The Drowning is a good watch. Above average... but only just. I look forward to seeing the future works from Mr. Jay Jennings as well as the cast involved in this project. The Drowning scores a 2.5 out of 5.0.

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